WEEKEND EDITION
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SEPTEMBER 1-2, 2018
142nd Year, No. 216
$1.50
WINNER OF THE 2018 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
Buehler seeks PERS changes
to fund Oregon schools
By PHIL WRIGHT
East Oregonian
Knute Buehler aims to posi-
tion himself as Oregon’s educa-
tion governor and the reformer of
the Public Employee Retirement
System.
The orthopedic surgeon and
Republican state representative
from Bend challenging Democrat
Gov. Kate Brown in the Novem-
ber election swung through East-
ern Oregon this week. From Tues-
day through Friday, he and his
team held meet-and-greets and
other campaign events in six
counties and nine cities, including
Burns, Ontario and La Grande.
Buehler stopped Thursday after-
noon in Pendleton for an hour-
long discussion with the East Ore-
gonian editorial board.
Buehler stressed Oregon needs
more and better leadership, and it
starts with education.
“I think the single biggest fail-
ure of Gov. Brown is her indiffer-
ence to our public schools,” he
said.
Oregon schools rank in the bot-
tom five across crucial metrics, he
said, namely length of school year
and graduation rates. And that is
occurring while state revenues are
at a robust $2 billion. Too much of
that money, he said, is paying for
PERS.
Buehler said as governor he
could move Oregon schools from
See BUEHLER/12A
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
State Rep. Knute Buehler speaks with the East Oregonian editorial
board on Thursday in Pendleton. Buehler is running as the GOP’s
candidate for governor of Oregon.
Sheriff Matlack
plans trip to
Washington
to discuss
immigration
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
Morrow County is almost 2,000 miles
from the U.S.-Mexico border. But its sheriff
has taken a vocal stance against illegal immi-
gration, and will be traveling to Washing-
ton, D.C., this month to
discuss it with the Presi-
dent, and 40 other sheriffs
nationwide.
Sheriff Ken Mat-
lack sent out a letter Fri-
day morning to several
media outlets, stating that
he will be traveling to the
nation’s capitol on Sept. 5
and 6 for a meeting called
Matlack
the “White House Nation-
wide Sheriffs Fly-In.”
Matlack states in the letter that the White
House has invited sheriffs from each state
to talk about their experiences on issues of
immigration and the impact it has had on their
communities.
He said President Donald Trump is
expected to host the group.
Matlack said he’s not exactly sure what
conclusions the group will reach at the
meeting.
“I don’t know what direction other peo-
ple will be taking,” he said. But he said he
hopes to discuss potential solutions to what he
believes is a major problem.
“Perhaps (Trump) may hear a few new
ideas on working to repair our broken immi-
gration system,” he said.
Matlack said they intend to tell Congress
that their failure to deal with immigration for
20 years has compromised the safety of local
communities.
“We will also take the opportunity to
express and thank President Trump and his
See MATLACK/12A
Photo courtesy of Kari Greer with the U.S. Forest Service
A helicopter using a drop bucket works on extinguishing spot fires on the Taylor Creek and Klondike fires in the
Rogue-Siskiyou National Forest west of Grants Pass, Oregon.
Spread thin by wildfire
Oregon fires have
already cost $321
million in 2018
By BRITTANY NORTON
East Oregonian
arren Giles is in the
wildfire
fighting
business. And busi-
ness is booming.
Giles got involved more
than 20 years ago after a
friend, who wanted to start
his own firefighting company,
asked him to join in.
“You’re perfect for this
job, why don’t you give it a
shot?” he said.
So Giles became his part-
ner and they worked together
for a few years. Then Giles
W
Photo courtesy of Cecilio Ricard with the U.S. Forest Service
A presenter talks during the morning briefing in prepa-
ration for the Taylor Creek Fire in Rogue River-Siskiyou
National Forest, Oregon.
took over the business and
his son stepped in to help him
run it.
The company, A-Team
Wildfire Contract Engines,
Inc. is a family-run business
in La Grande that operates
eight engines and can be con-
tracted to a fire anywhere in
the country.
It was an endeavor that
began with the help of his son
and continues today with the
assistance of his two daugh-
ters, who lead engines into
fires across the nation.
Giles said the number of
fires his team is called out to
in recent years has increased
drastically.
“The weather is not kind to
what’s going on with fires,”
he said.
The company is low on the
priority list, and is only called
when other resources have
been exhausted. And it only
gets paid if it is called to an
incident. The team shows up
fully staffed and fully loaded
See WILDFIRE/12A
Mike Huckabee to visit Pendleton Oct. 6
By ANTONIO SIERRA
East Oregonian
In the midst of a competitive primary,
future President Barack Obama and for-
mer President Bill Clinton, stumping for
his wife, made campaign stops in Pendle-
ton in 2008.
He’s a decade late, but Mike Huckabee,
a former Arkansas governor and a Repub-
lican presidential candidate in 2008 and
2016, will be making an appearance in
Pendleton.
Huckabee will be speaking at the Pend-
leton Convention Center on Oct. 9, not as
a part of a campaign, but to promote Preg-
nancy Care Services, a Pendleton
will speak, “Unite for life,” will
anti-abortion nonprofit that pro-
not be a political rally.
vides counseling services, parent-
Instead, the event will be
ing classes, and other resources to
focused on Pregnancy Care Ser-
vices and their plans to expand.
expecting mothers and fathers.
Within the next few years,
Pregnancy Care Services
Jensen said Pregnancy Care Ser-
Executive Director Laura Jensen
vices wants to add a nurse to their
was at an anti-abortion confer-
ence where a speaker asked them
staff and upgrade its 311 S.E.
to “think big.”
Dorion Ave. facility to include
Huckabee
prenatal services like ultrasound
An event featuring Huckabee
immediately sprung to Jensen’s mind and services.
While the event isn’t supposed to be
when she reached out to Huckabee’s repre-
sentatives, she was surprised to hear back explicitly political, Jensen said she hoped
that he accepted the invitation.
See HUCKABEE/12A
Jensen said the event where Huckabee